Adjustable button holder



Dec. 13, 1955 cs. F. EDDY ADJUSTABLE BUTTON HOLDER Filed Nov. 16, 1953 IN VENTOR EBY TTORNEY United States Patent ADJUSTABLE BUTTON HOLDER George F. Eddy, Punxsutawney, Pa.

Application November 16, 1953, Serial No. 392,217

7 Claims. (Cl. 112-114) The present invention relates generally to sewing machines and specifically to an attachment for sewing shank buttons to fabric.

As presently in use, button holders for attaching to sewing machines are of various sizes, a diiferent size and style for each type of button to be sewn. The changing from one button holder to another meant a loss of time to the operator, generally a piece-work operator, and a loss to the manufacturer whose machine was out of production during the interval of change. In addition, the shop mechanics services were required to secure the changed holder, and other services, such as the services of the stock room clerk to find the proper holder, were required.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide a relatively inexpensive shank button holder which can be adapted to fit several styles and sizes of buttons.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shank button holder that is adjustable to fit the shanks of many sizes of button with a simple adjustment easily made by the operator and not requiring the services of the shop mechanic.

A further object is to provide an adjustable button holder which may be used on more than a single type or make of sewing machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully apparent from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the. annexed drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front view in elevation of the invention with a portion of a sewing machine showing the point of attachment and the position of the machines needle.

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the invention with a button in place for sewing.

Fig. 4 is a front view in section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, in Fig. 1 will be seen the foot bar of a sewing machine, a portion 11 being seen to have projecting therefrom the needle holder 12 and needle 13, of conventional design for which no invention is claimed.

Secured by bolt 14 to the foot bar 10 is the vertical block 15 slotted for adjustment vertically on the foot bar 10. A horizontal plate 16 is secured by screw 17 to the angled lug 18 which is a part of block 15. Plate 16 has a movable plate portion 19 coplanar with it and slidably positioned by pin 21 and adjusting screw 22, plate portion 19 being threaded and the screw 22 being swaged as at 23 or otherwise secured from lateral movement in the hole 24 in plate 16.

Vertically positioned in plate 16 and portion 19 are screws 26 and 27, respectively, each having the lower ends similarly swaged into feet 28 and 29 and traversing suitably threaded holes 31 and 32 in plate 16 and portion 19. Pins 33 and 34 act as guides for the upward and downward adjustment of the feet 28 and 29. Springs 43 and 44 on pins 33 and 34 bias the parts apart to prevent binding.

As Will be seen in Fig. 3, the plate 16, portion 19, and feet 28 and 29 have slightly sloping faces at their forward and inner edges, thusly providing an entrance for the shank 35 of a button 36, as seen in that figure. Additionally, the inner corner edges of parts 16, 19, 28 and 29 have a square-cut notch seen most clearly in Fig. 5 at 40, to assist in receiving the button shank 35 without catching. The hole 41 of shank 35 is in position to receive the first stroke of the needle 13, the mechanism of the sewing machine next moving the device forwardly so that the second stroke of the needle passes immediately behind'the shank 35 to form the thread bunch secured beneath the fabric by the conventional action of the shuttle, not here illustrated.

In operation, the invention may be seen to supplant several sizes of button holders, the plate 16 and plate portion 19 being adjustable to each other and to the feet 28 and 29, to enlarge or diminish the size of the opening into which a shank is fitted. By simple adjustment of the vertical screws 17, 26 and 27, and the horizontal screw 22, the two plates 16 and 19 and the two feet 28 and 29, with their cooperating notches 40 that constitute the holder may be moved relative to the descending needle to permit the exact placement of the shank hole 41 under the needle 13.

The invention is thus briefly described and its advantages are apparent, and while a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is contemplated that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. An adjustable shank button holding device for the foot bar of a sewing machine, said device comprising a first horizontal plate, a means for vertically and horizontally adjustably securing said plate to the sewing machine foot bar, a second horizontal plate coplanar with said first horizontal plate, a horizontal adjusting screw threaded through one of said plates and rotatably secured in the other of said horizontal plates, means for maintaining said horizontal plates in coplanar relation, a pair of parallel vertically extending adjusting screws, a pair of parallel feet, said feet being adjustably secured to said plates in parallel relation thereto bysaid vertically extending adjusting screws and means cooperating with said plates and said feet for maintaining said feet parallel to said horizontal plates, said plates and feet each having a face at a common adjacent end providing a cooperating gripping means for holding a button shank.

2. An adjustable shank button holding device for the foot bar of a sewing machine, said device comprising a first horizontal plate, a means for vertically and horizontally adjustably securing said plate to the sewing machine foot bar, a second horizontal plate coplanar with said first horizontal plate, a horizontal adjusting screw threaded through one of said plates and rotatably secured in the other of said horizontal plates, means for maintaining said horizontal plates in coplanar relation, a pair of parallel vertically extending adjusting screws, a pair of parallel feet, said feet being adjustably secured to said plates in parallel relation thereto by said vertically extending adjusting screws and means cooperating with said plates and said feet for maintaining said feet par allel to said horizontal plates, said plates and feet each having a face at a common adjacent end providing a cooperating gripping means for holding a button shank, the

adjacent edges of said faces being notched to improve the gripping action.

3. An adjustable shank button holding device for the foot bar of a sewing machine, said device comprising a first horizontal plate, a means for vertically and horizontally adjustably securing said plate to the sewing machine foot bar, a second horizontal plate coplanar with said first horizontal plate, a horizontal adjusting screw threaded through one of said plates and rotatably secured in the other of said horizontal plates, means for maintaining said horizontal plates in coplanar relation, a pair of parallel vertically extending adjusting screws, a pair of parallel feet, said feet being adjustably secured to said plates in parallel relation thereto by said vertically extending adjusting screws and means cooperating with said plates and said feet for maintaining said feet parallel to said horizontal plates, said plates and feet each having a face at a common adjacent end providing a cooperating gripping means for holding a button shank, said means for securing said first plate to the sewing machine foot bar comprising an angle block having bifurcated arms, and a securing screw extending through each of said bifurcated arms, one to said first plate, and the other to said sewing machine foot bar.

4. An adjustable shank button holding device for the foot bar of a sewing machine, said device comprising a first horizontal plate, a means for vertically and horizontally adjustably securing said plate to the sewing machine foot bar, a second horizontal plate coplanar with said first horizontal plate, a horizontal adjusting screw threaded through one of said plates and rotatably secured in the other of said horizontal plates, means for maintaining said horizontal plates in coplanar relation comprising a horizontal guide pin, parallel to said horizontal adjusting screw, secured in one of said plates and slidably extending through a guide aperture in the other of said horizontal plates, a pair of parallel vertically extending adjusting screws, a pair of parallel feet, said feet being adjustably secured to said plates in parallel relation thereto by said vertically extending adjusting screws, means for maintaining said feet parallel to said horizontal plates comprising a pair of parallel guide pins extending between said plates and feet, said plates and feet each having a sloping face at a common adjacent end providing a cooperating gripping means for holding a button shank, the adjacent edges of said sloping faces being notched to improve the gripping action, said means for securing said first plate to the sewing machine foot bar comprising an angle block having bifurcated arms, and a securing screw extending through each of said bifurcated arms, one to said first plate, and the other to said sewing machine foot bar.

5. An adjustable shank button holding device for the foot bar of a sewing machine, said device comprising a first horizontal plate, a means for vertically and horizontally adjustably securing said plate to the sewing ma chine foot bar, a second horizontal plate coplanar with said first horizontal plate, a horizontal adjusting screw threaded through one of said plates and rotatably secured in the other of said horizontal plates in coplanar relation comprising a horizontal guide pin, parallel to said horizontal adjusting screw, secured in one of said plates and slidably extending through a guide aperture in the other of said horizontal plates, a pair of parallel vertically extending adjusting screws, a pair of parallel feet, said feet being adjustably secured to said plates in parallel relation thereto by said vertically extending adjusting screws, each horizontal plate having one of said vertical screws threaded therethrough for adjustment relative thereto, one of said feet being rotatably secured to the bottom of one vertically adjusting screw parallel to the horizontal plate through which it is threaded, the other of said feet being similarly adjustably secured below the other horizontal plate and means for maintaining said feet parallel to said horizontal plates comprising a pair of parallel guide pins extending between said plates and feet, said plates and feet each having a face at a common adjacent end providing a cooperating gripping means for holding a button shank.

6. An adjustable shank button holding device for the foot bar of a sewing machine, said device comprising a first horizontal plate, a means for vertically and horizontally adjustably securing said plate to the sewing machine foot bar, a second horizontal plate coplanar with said first horizontal plate, a horizontal adjusting screw threaded through one of said plates and rotatably secured in the other of said horizontal plates, means for maintaining said horizontal plates in coplanar relation comprising a horizontal guide pin, parallel to said horizontal adjusting screw, secured in one of said plates and slidably extending through a guide aperture in the other of said horizontal plates, a pair of parallel vertically extending adjusting screws, a pair of parallel feet, said feet being adjustably secured to said plates in parallel relation thereto by said vertically extending adjusting screws, each horizontal plate having one of said vertical screws threaded therethrough for adjustment relative thereto, one of said feet being rotatably secured to the bottom of one vertically adjusting screw parallel to the horizontal plate through which it is threaded, the other of said feet being similarly adjustably secured below the other horizontal plate and means for maintaining said feet parallel to said horizontal plates comprising a pair of parallel guide pins extending between said plates and feet, said plates and feet each having a face at a common adjacent end providing a cooperating gripping means for holding a button shank, the adjacent edges of said faces being notched to improve the gripping action.

7. An adjustable shank button holding device for the foot bar of a sewing machine, said device comprising a first horizontal plate, a means for vertically and horizontally adjustably securing said plate to the sewing machine foot bar, a second horizontal plate coplanar with said first horizontal plate, a horizontal adjusting screw threaded through one of said plates and rotatably secured in the other of said horizontal plates, means for maintaining said horizontal plates in coplanar relation comprising a horizontal guide pin, parallel to said horizontal adjusting screw, secured in one of said plates and slidably extending through a guide aperture in the other of said horizontal plates, a pair of parallel vertically extending adjusting screws, a pair of parallel feet, said feet being adjustably secured to said plates in parallel relation thereto by said vertically extending adjusting screws each horizontal plate having one of said vertical screws threaded therethrough for adjustment relative thereto, one of said feet being rotatably secured to the bottom of one vertically adjusting screw parallel to the horizontal plate through which it is threaded, the other of said feet being similarly adjustably secured below the other horizontal plate and means for maintaining said feet parallel to said horizontal plates comprising a pair of parallel guide pins extending between said plates and feet, said plates and feet each having a sloping face at a common adjacent end providing a cooperating gripping means for holding a button shank, the adjacent edges of said sloping faces being notched to improve the gripping action, said means for securing said first plate to the sewing machine foot bar comprising an angle block having bifurcated arms, and a securing screw extending through each of said bifurcated arms, one to said first plate, and the other to said sewing machine foot bar.

- R f r nc s Ci d in the file f t Patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,711,607 Lyons May 7, 1929 2,331,170 Brussell a Oct. 5, 1943 2,630,087 Liero et al. Mar. 3, 1953 

